Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been engaged in a heated court battle in a case over the Château Miraval winery they co-owned, and the Tomb Raider actress just landed a big legal win in the matter. Entertainment Tonight reports that a Los Angeles judge has dismissed five of Pitt’s original complaints in the case against his ex-wife.
In a statement to ET, Jolie’s attorney, Paul Murphy, said, “The judge dismissed most of Mr. Pitt’s claims because they don’t have a legal basis. Mr. Pitt’s lawsuit has never been about a business dispute; instead, it is about his attempts to cover up serious abuse, and we are gratified the judge has thrown out so much of Mr. Pitt’s complaint.”
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“Angelina truly harbors no ill-will toward Mr. Pitt,” Murphy added, “and hopes he will now release her from his frivolous lawsuit, stop his relentless attacks, and join her in helping their family heal in private.”
Château Miraval is the French estate and vineyard – which is owned by a company called Quimicum – where Pitt and Jolie were married, back in August 2014. Jolie sold her share of the estate of Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler, and this is where the root of Pitt’s ongoing issue lies. He alleges she “acknowledged that there were only ‘two ways forward,’” which were: “Pitt and Jolie could sell Miraval jointly, or Pitt could buy her out. The former couple thus began exclusive buyout negotiations.”
Essentially, Pitt’s concerns seem to boil down to what he says was a “mutual understanding” between himself and Jolie when they split, that they would not sell their individual stakes in the winery without consent from the other. In 2021, Jolie proposed selling her half to a then-unnamed buyer, who turned out to be Shefler. Pitt agreed to consider the sale but stated that the pair’s “mutual understanding” gave him the right to refuse to agree to the sale.
However, Jolie went through with the sale, prompting Pitt to file a lawsuit. Pitt now claims that Jolie “terminated” negotiations when the former couple’s child custody fight began heating up, and he is now left dealing with serious ramifications. “Stoli has attempted a hostile takeover of the wine business,” the documents allege, “destabilizing Miraval’s operations, seeking access to Miraval’s confidential and proprietary information for the benefit of Shefler’s competing enterprise, and trying to tear apart the winemaking partnership between the Pitt and Perrin families that is at the heart of Miraval and key to its success.”
A source close to the situation previously told ET that Pitt is fighting in part because of his business partnership with winemaker Marc Perrin. “Brad is left once more fighting for his family to protect their assets and his partnership with Marc Perrin,” the source stated. “Brad won’t back down from bullies and won’t abandon his [business] partner.” Ultimately, Pitt is seeking to have the matter settled in “a trial by jury.”
